Destiny might be on Michigan's side

And still standing…Michigan and Louisville. Team Destiny will face Team Destiny Monday night in the NCAA championship game.

Fate appears to be on Michigan’s side because of an improbable Sweet 16 win over Kansas - and the Wolverines’ surge since.

For Louisville because it was the arguably the best team entering the NCAA tournament, and has only solidified its spirit in the aftermath of Kevin Ware’s gruesome and devastating on-court broken leg in an Elite Eight victory over Duke.

Late in the second half vs. Kansas, the Wolverines’ season was left for dead. They trailed by double digits. Little went right the entire first 37 minutes. The Wolverines won after Trey Burke hit a 3-pointer that will echo long into the future.

Advertisement

Florida in the Elite Eight? Syracuse Saturday night in the Final Four? Those foes turned out to be nothing in comparison. And suddenly Louisville doesn’t seemed so ominous.

This is not an accident. The Wolverines went through much difficulty late in the regular season and during the Big Ten tournament. Instead of succumbing to their issues, the Wolverines became better because of them.

Burke’s big shot, and role as a genuine star, still define Michigan. However, the Wolverines are proving to be the consummate team.

Game by game throughout the NCAA tournament a different hero has emerged. Saturday, Michigan got out to a first-half lead because of freshmen reserves Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht. They combined to go 5-for-6 shooting Saturday night, 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Conversely, Burke and Tim Hardaway, considered by many to be the best backcourt duo in the country, were a combined 5-of-23 from the field.

Nik Stauskas didn’t have a good shooting night vs. Syracuse. He did in the Elite Eight vs. Florida, keying a rout.

Hardaway has had his moments in the tournament. So has Glenn Robinson III. Jordan Morgan’s minutes have been reduced to virtually nothing with the emergence of Mitch McGary. Morgan still took a key charge late to seal the victory over Syracuse, which was rallying.

McGary has been the one constant in the tournament. He is no longer out of control, yet he has maintained his unique brand of on-floor rage.

In February, there was no way Michigan would have been able to hold off Syracuse’s second-half comeback. The Wolverines’ collective psyche was extremely fragile.

They didn’t panic. Credit coach John Beilein for maintaining his poise. He treated each disappointing moment for the Wolverines as a teaching point.

Subsequently, the Wolverines have learned well.

Louisville was the popular pick to capture the NCAA tournament when it started. Nothing the Cardinals have done since has quelled that notion. The Final Four encounter with Wichita State was too close for comfort, but it also qualified as a character win. Duke was comparable to Kansas this season (experienced team, plenty of talent). Louisville passed that test with flying colors in the Elite Eight.

But Louisville’s resume is not that much better than Michigan’s. A tip goes in against Indiana at the buzzer of the regular season finale - and there is an entirely different view of the Wolverines.

If there is a criticism to made of Beilein, it’s why it took so long for him to put McGary in the starting lineup - and turn him loose.

It took awhile for the Wolverines to pull it all together. The most important part is they eventually did.

So Michigan is up against a team of destiny in the title game? It may not matter.

Ultimately, this just might be the Wolverines’ time and nothing is going to stop them.